121 – Epilogue, Book 4

Caizoa stood in the starlit sky, watching two different dramas unfold in two different directions. To the southeast, Ar’Kendrithyst and all that evil was undergoing a change of Underworld proportions. Almost all the Shades were dead, and most of those who survived had been placed under divine Blessings to ensure that they would be boons to the world, going forward. The one who had not been Blessed, Caizoa knew she was no match for, so there was no point in pursuing that fight. Still, though…

Still, she kinda wanted to kill those she could. Better to clean up loose threads than to let them mar the tapestry going forward, as grandma always said.

‘They’re Blessed by another artifact of My God,’ The Black Star sent, in response to Caizoa’s thoughts. ‘Killing them while they retain this Blessing is an act of aggression I cannot abide at this time. Take solace in the news that we will be the first informed if they break their Blessing.’

… Which was fair enough, she supposed. It was, theoretically, possible for a Shade to be ‘good’. Uncle Anopix was a good Shade, after all. Caizoa was one of the very few people in this world that knew that a Shade could be and do good, so this was fine.

… Fallopolis though, did not have the Blessing of the Silver Prism, which was just a tentative name for the Blessing and the artifact at the moment. Eh. Caizoa knew she would only wear herself out if she went after that one, and besides, Fallopolis wasn’t Caizoa’s main target. The young Juggernaut tried to put that awful human Shade out of her mind, as she concentrated on the path forward.

The sandform woman gazed north east, to the sparkling city of Spur. Bonfires raged yellow glows upon every tower that could hold a fire, and in every watchtower on the walls, though they were still dim things, in the darkness of Shadow’s Feast. Courtyards and neighborhood squares held similar sights. And yet, no one was on the streets except those who tended to those large, yet dim fires.

Well… There were some shifts in the Human District. Lotta action over there. Caizoa almost went closer, just so she could see what was happening at Erick’s house. But she did not. She refrained, contenting herself to watch from afar, as handheld wardlights scattered across the darkened district, and the unseen people holding them turned their eyes upward, looking for danger.

That man… That human had pulled out a great deal of impressive spellwork back there, at the end. Rapid, almost casual [Dispel]s that locked down Shade after Shade were the most impressive. Caizoa didn’t think that anyone would ever have enough mana to be able to counter a Shade’s magic, but then again, she had overheard that Erick had been empowered by divinities. The depths of those empowerments did not seem real until the Black Star had spoken to her, and told her that killing Erick now, after he had gone out of his way to create a Greater Artifact for Koyabez based around empathy…

Killing Erick Flatt now would indubitably result in her own death, and thus the failure of her main mission.

So, not killing him was fine. This was okay. Maybe he wouldn’t get converted by the Angel. Caizoa could kill the blasted thing herself, anyway. Probably. She was still unsure about all that, for she had yet to ask her question, now that the Feast Barrier was gone.

Caizoa prepared herself, then asked, “Where’s the target?”

After a moment, the Black Star responded, ‘Mount Torkrendy is the main area of Converter Angel activity, with much of the countryside under Converter Angel control. The Angel itself is located a ways into Mondariska Mountains, west of Mount Torkrendy, halfway between here and Greendale.

‘Secondary targets include many locations in the Wasteland Kingdoms. Tertiary targets have spread to Kal’Duresh, Portal, Spur, Frontier, and every city of the Sovereign Kingdoms. Fourth tier targets include other major cities all over the world, and in the Underworld.’

Caizoa breathed. Holy shit, that was worse than she thought it would be. Her heart did a number in her chest, as she contemplated. After a moment, she decided. “I’m going to need help.” She put on a hard smile, to fight the ache in her heart. She would have had that help if not for Tania and Fallopolis. And then her thoughts turned harder. “At least those bastards back home can’t use you now that we’re together.”

‘I would have been against helping some places before others, just to watch other places burn faster.’

“You should have gone to Skorka. She was the smart one. You would have done a lot better with her.”

‘You seem to be doing alright. You killed five Shades, after all. Level 80 looks good on you.’

“The Class Abilities will certainly help. I didn’t know you’d function as a Registrar, too.”

‘I have many functions, this ‘registrar’ one is just a facet of my power.’

Caizoa turned to the west, where Kal’Duresh and the Wasteland Kingdoms lay. “Any suggestions of places to hit first?”

‘The one right in front of you.’ The Black Star said, ‘Spur. And then Erick will assist you in your task. My God will ensure it, if you ask him.’ The artifact added, ‘There are a few things to keep in mind, though. Whichever place you attack first will likely inform the others that they are being successfully targeted. And then there’s this: Soon, this entire world is going to be set ringing with the news of this Shadow’s Feast, and my prognostication abilities are greatly weakened when everything is in an uproar over such a large, world-spanning event. What I can tell you now, though, is that Spur, Kal’Duresh, and Frontier will be under great scrutiny by all. The Angel might pull its forces out of here before anything truly happe—’ A pause. Then a rapid series of statements, ‘Ah. Nearby tertiary targets are already moving. All targets are moving. Consolidating. The news of Shadow’s Feast is spreading fast. An Ascendant Mind has descended to Spur. Spur is cleared of influences as of this moment— Make that two Ascendant Minds.’ A moment passed. ‘They are now aware of your presence, though they cannot do much since I am with you.’

Caizoa would have paled if she had been in her fleshy body. She rapidly decided, “Let’s find targets in the Kingdoms.”

‘As you wish.’

She stepped away, through the sky at first, but then across the tops of the dunes of the Crystal Forest, moving almost as fast as a [Teleport]. Sandstepping was pretty damn fast across sand, after all.

– – – –

Poi stood inside the house, exactly where he needed to be, mentally messaging a hundred people over two hundred concerns rated from 8 star to 12 star, as well as overseeing Erick’s immediate bodily recovery. Mostly, he was doing the first. Teressa and everyone else was fully on the second. And besides, Erick was fine. Sure, he had passed out as soon as…

Poi checked the message Erick sent him.

Erick had passed out as soon as [Death’s Approach] ended. His soul had been damaged, but not too severely. His body had been ravaged by the transformation, but a double-tap from a rod of [Greater Treat Wounds] solved that problem. A real healer was on their way—

Concerns radiated into Poi’s mind, and then they fell away, like a million kilogram weight lifted from his shoulders by a mind much stronger than his. No. Wait. Not a single mind. A pair, and then a trio. Poi glanced to the ceiling, and far beyond, to see the threads of [Telepathy] which strung across the sky, and to see the threads he had once held, now held by others with much more claim to that Domain.

Poi pulsed out, ‘Sirs? Who has come?’

For an unstable moment, Poi was utterly surprised, and yet not, as one of the greater beings of the Crossing above actually responded to him.

An Ascendant Mind spoke with a dozen voices at once, saying, ‘This one is merely an assistant to understand the problems joining our world on this Shadow’s Feast. Don’t worry about these questions for now. Could you let me in a bit more, please?’

Poi rapidly obliged. A cool feeling lifted up his mind above, briefly taking control of his body from him, but then giving it right back. Poi blinked, and saw that Erick was now seated in a recliner. A minute might have passed in that ethereal, disembodied moment, and Poi had come back much stronger for it, and with a lot more perspective. He gazed at Erick, and saw what he had already seen, but in a whole new light.

The Fire of the Age, the Untouchable Killer of Ar’Kendrithyst, Veird’s First Particle Mage, and his boss, Erick Flatt, was perhaps the most pivotal living soul on Veird, at the moment. He was still unconscious and drooling on himself.

That was probably for the best.

A second Ascendant Mind asked, ‘I would like your cooperation to recreate Archmage Flatt’s message to you. There are many missing spots.’

Poi gave his permission. It was easier this time.

Again, he felt his mind touched, but this time with warmth and water; with mana unending, pulled directly from the Crossings above. He had managed to hold together much of Erick’s 300,000 mana missive, but he was only mortal. There were holes in the sending. And now, with Ascendant Two’s help, those holes began to fill. Poi was involved, yes, but only indirectly.

Ascendant Two began to ask questions of Poi’s mind, and Poi’s mind began to answer. He had trained his mind very well, and so the answers given were mostly accurate, but there were mistakes here and there. Poi answered questions when they came, using his personal knowledge of Erick to cross gaps in his message that were gone forever. Recreating the whole missive took five minutes. Soon, a full accounting of Erick’s Point of View came into being. And what a Point of View it was.

Intelligence!

The transformation of Charisma into Perception!

Laptops!

Dead Shades!

The creation of a Greater Artifact of Koyabez! The Silver Prism!

The creation of Erick’s own Artifacts of Stats, which granted all four of the new ones! They had no names, but Ascendant Two tentatively labeled those artifacts as the Flatt Rings and the Flatt Belt.

Poi’s mentality relaxed, as the Full Account came into being. There was nothing too damning in there, considering the outcome. With this composition and with the verification of it being composed of True Memories, verified by Ascendant Minds, Erick might avoid much of the blame of what will come after tonight. But as far as what would come?

‘I have no idea,’ Ascendant Two sent.

‘A lot of bad, and then some good,’ Ascendant One commented. ‘And then a lot more good. And then a lot more bad. The usual.’

‘Thank you,’ Poi sent, meaning that he was thankful for everything, and that he hoped for a good outcome.

With a knowing smile attached to the response, indicating that they were glad to provide assistance, Ascendant Two moved the conversation forward, ‘Keep your heading clear, Poi. You’ve already been elevated rather high, but with this, your position next to Erick makes you invaluable to us. Knowing what will come enables us to keep our people alive, and it is not an exaggeration to say that this world and many others will revolve around Erick’s actions.’

‘If we play this right, we could have mentalists out in the open on other worlds,’ sent Ascendant One. ‘Maybe even on Veird, one day.’

‘That will never happen.’ Ascendant Two said, ‘It is enough to know what is coming rather than to be in control of anything. Control is not good for our kind.’

Poi asked several questions at the same time, about Forgotten Campaigns, Shades in the rest of the world, and the Converter Angel still out there.

The Ascendants went silent. And then they asked another.

The Crossing flexed, as yet another Mind touched down in Spur, right next to Poi.

Invisible to most, and yet not invisible at all, they were a collection of thoughtful intents, an amalgam of hundreds, perhaps thousands of minds, and they were the arbiter of most final decisions and actions. A flick of divine fire encapsulated their being, but if anyone in the room noticed them, they said nothing.

All of the nearby Ophiels noticed, for sure. Hundreds of eyes swung to the space next to Poi. Poi silently asked Ophiel for forgiveness before something terrible happened, and that was enough. Ophiels returned to their violin song.

Ascendant Prime watched all of that happen, and then they responded with the silent voice of a half-step deity, ‘Erick’s missive has now been sent out to others, and with their help and my own workings, we have sussed out the edges of his sight that Erick was not privy to. His constant Perception and multiple Viewpoints helped immensely in this task. So, unless his new Intelligence has allowed him to lie most convincingly, or if his various touchings in the Darker Arts have allowed him to split his thoughts from his mind…’

Poi tensed. Moments passed like the ticking of a clock toward the scheduled time of execution.

Ascendant Prime sent to all who knew of the night’s events, ‘It is the choice of this Prime, that since no Black Thoughts have been breached by Erick’s journey into Ar’Kendrithyst, that we have no place in this fight. This is much too big for us to be involved, for this is not a problem of memories or the mind. This is not our domain. This is not our burden. This is not our problem. This is your problem, Poi, and the problem of the people in the ground, and the problem of the people of this world.’ Ascendant Prime added, ‘But as far as the Converter Angel is concerned: That is not our problem, either, and it never was. We cannot be involved in the affairs of this world. These people hate us just as much as they hate the monsters of Veird, and it is only through our vigilance and self-discipline that the people of this world have naturally forgotten their hatred toward us. Maybe, in another world and another place, we can make our own home and live in the light. But that time is not now, and it is not here. This is the verdict of this Prime. Smaller declarations will come in the following days.’

Poi breathed out, smiling.

Ascendant Prime left the group-think. A weight lifted from the world. The Crossing above became a tensed web again, instead of a thing distorted by Ascendant Prime. There were still two weights upon it, though.

‘That went a lot better than I thought it would. This is good.’ Ascendant One seemed to breathe in, and out, relaxing, before they declared, ‘And with that… Most of the thoughts linked to you, Poi, have been spread onto the Crossing. Your necessity as a temporary Node has passed. Minds are speaking amongst themselves. I am done here. Thank you for your assistance.’

Poi glanced up to see Ascendant One also release their hold on the Crossing. Various connections came back to Poi, and he began fielding them on his own. He sent his silent thanks to Ascendant One.

After a moment, Ascendant Two declared, ‘Archmage’s message has been enshrined in the Crossing, for all eligible to see at their need. Our people are now dissecting Archmage Flatt’s message on their own, and adding more messages and notes onto all of it. Oh. Looks like it’s gotten a Designation. ‘The (possible) Final Shadow’s Feast of Ar’Kendrithyst, 1436 Post Sundering’. Ah. That’s going to be a Big File.’

Poi watched, as the multi-Viewpoint ‘Final Shadow’s Feast’ shifted from a collection of Views, into a river of memories, beginning with Erick’s entrance into the Dead City, flanked by a primary View and three to ten others as Ophiel provided, then ending on Erick’s dispersal of the Feast Barrier. And then the tributaries came in. Countless copies of other files stitched into the main flow, allowing the viewer on the river to understand more about what was happening in the Main View.

Larger rivers attended Erick’s View. Quilatalap was an ocean. Every single Shade Viewed by Erick was a river. Various spells and sights received streams or pools.

And then the Archivist got involved, like a water-weaver, and some of those tributaries went solid, frozen, as it was decided that too many secrets were too out in the open. People could still view those files, as long as they got authorization first. Poi was automatically given a key, but he declined to pick that key up. He already saw which parts were locked out from public knowledge, and they were mostly the parts about soul magic and the various books Erick had read.

Ascendant Two brought Poi back to the moment, ‘I cleared out a Converted among your city, as well as another Converted in Kal’Duresh and Frontier.’

Poi almost startled.

‘I know, I know. Prime said not to get involved. But that beast has been infecting souls the world over. That’s bad for what’s to come, if you ask me.’ Ascendant Two said, ‘No one asked me, though, which was a shame, but you don’t get to Ascendant without doing what needs to be done every now and then. Keep that in mind, Poi.’

Poi almost voiced his question about how he hadn’t noticed the Converted.

Ascendant Two heard Poi’s question without the exchange of such silly things like ‘words’. They sent, ‘It’s a soul infection. You should read up on Erick’s soul magic lessons, instead of hiding from those thoughts. But I understand the reluctance. It is not our way to gain knowledge this way. You could always ask Erick for some lessons, though. The Converted infection is very subtle… Ah. And now there’s Silverite, asking me what-the-fuck I’m doing. You can tell her about the Converted.’ Ascendant Two sent a memory packet, then sent, ‘I’m out! Good luck!’

Poi took ten seconds to make sure everything was okay in the house, and it was.

Then he answered Silverite’s call.

‘Mayor.’

‘Give me an overview. Short version.’

This would have been a lot easier if Silverite was a Mind Mage and thus allowed to see the Crossing, but if she were able to do either of those things, then she wouldn’t be the Mayor.

Poi began, ‘All but seven Shades of Ar’Kendrithyst are dead. The Clergy of the Dead City is gone, with Erick having a direct hand in all of those deaths, but he only possesses a Kill Box for some of those kills. All of the various bombs set up that would have exploded and harmed us all, due to a dying Shade, have been mostly contained to the Dead City. Erick killed the Witch, and cleaned up the resulting Extreme Light Swamp. The entire Aerie exploded just like we thought it would. Moving right along:

‘He forced Hollowsaur to remake his Cursed Cows into a new species that Erick has called ‘Minotaurs’, but who are likely to be another stable Shifter people. He has worked with Quilatalap and attained Dark Knowledge of Souls, and gained every single new Stat, except Charisma, which has been turned into Perception. He has gained Perception. He has made artifacts that unlock and boost these New Stats. The tentative names for these two rings and one belt are the Flatt Rings and the Flatt Belt. The culture of the Brightwater has survived, and they are in there, right now, recovering. Quilatalap was not seen in the final battle. Erick has no idea if he survived. There are more smaller events, but those are most of them.

‘Shade Survivors: Farix, Lapis, Goldie, Queen, Treant, Hollowsaur, and Fallopolis. The first six each have a [Blessing of Empathy], but Fallopolis has this other one.’ Poi sent along the description for [Blessing of Empathy] and [Blessing of Minor Truth]. ‘Erick used a one-off artifact spell from Koyabez to create the Silver Prism; an artifact that instantly imparts the [Blessing of Empathy] onto their target.’

‘Oh My God.’ Silverite whispered through her connection without meaning to, ‘It’s real.’

Poi continued, ‘There are many things that Fallopolis has promised Erick that she will do to ensure that the first six act according to their Blessing, while those first six have likely all received a Redemption Quest that is similar, or perhaps exactly similar, to the one Hollowsaur received.’ Poi sent that Quest Box along. ‘The Armory is ransacked. The artifacts are missing. The Library is undefended. Melemizargo has abandoned his Clergy, and has possibly abandoned Ar’Kendrithyst altogether, but shadows remain inside the kendrithyst towers. That’s all.’

‘… Okay!’ Silverite took a moment to think, then she sent, ‘Erick is getting some more defenders. Suddenly! A good [Prismatic Ward] just isn’t enough! Shit! Gods damned… Erick! No no. Wait. This wasn’t his fault. There’s no way he did this on his own. Which gods were involved besides Koyabez?’

‘All of them.’

‘HA!’ She asked, ‘ Is Erick awake yet? He’s not answering my sending.’

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Poi looked over to Erick. ‘He’s still out of it, but he’s coming around.’

‘Is he still human? Did he tell you about that? He got all the New Stats, right?’

‘There’s a question mark by his species.’

‘… Probably fine.’

Poi said, ‘One more thing: There’s an incani Juggernaut with the Black Star looking to kill the Converter Angel. There was a Converted man inside Spur.’

With much self-directed anger, Silverite said, ‘Yes. I heard about that part.’ With a suddenly lighter voice, she added, ‘Okay. Good work, Poi. Let me know when Erick comes around. I want to talk with him as soon as possible.’

Silverite cut the connection. Poi could tell she was already sending out a few other connections to other people. Likely to Killzone, at least, and to a few Team Leaders, for sure. Spur needed to secure the major parts of Ar’Kendrithyst before anyone else could, otherwise it would be a major problem.

Poi could see it now.

The World had stood back, only reacting to Shade aggression every now and then. But now that the Dead City truly was dead? Now that Ar’Kendrithyst was undefended, except by monsters and traps?

Like… The material wealth of the Palace District was worth several hundred kingdoms anywhere on Veird, except perhaps inside the Geodes. That place had solid gold gates, for gods’ sakes! There was no holding back when it came to [Duplicate] in there! And then there was the Library! And Truedark Arcanaeum! Securing some of those professors and probing them for information, and then gaining that information successfully, would mean solving existent monster threats the world over by knowing of monster weaknesses and then being able to exploit those weaknesses. And the Spire! If that place was intact at all, plumbing those depths and file cabinets and coming up with intelligible information would enable the deconstruction of many Shade affairs the world over.

Very soon, the opportunistic carrion feeders of the world would descend upon Ar’Kendrithyst and rip it to shreds, if the place wasn’t already being torn apart.

Erick came to, briefly, his lidded eyes opening and shutting just as fast. “Wha… What about…”

Jane sat with her father, but she looked to Poi. “When is the healer showing?”

“He’s been soul-damaged.” Justine spoke up from the staircase. “A normal healer won’t help.”

Jane whipped around to stare hatred at Justine. “How do you know that?”

“Peace, please.” Justine asked, “Anyone who has seen as much injury as I have could tell. There’s no blood. There’s no physical injury. Even if there had been, they’re gone thanks to that healing rod. If he’s still like this, then it’s either parasites, poison, soul damage, or mind damage. I’m just guessing it’s the third option, as that makes the most sense.”

Poi said, “Justine is correct. He’s suffering from soul damage. It’ll take two weeks to heal, according to what your father has already managed to tell me before he fell into this state.”

A frantic smile alighted upon Jane’s face, briefly, and then it was gone. “Okay! Okay… Okay. That’s… That’s good news, I think. Isn’t it?”

Kiri allowed herself a small smile. “Yes. That is good news.”

“I still want a healer here.” Jane had been holding Erick’s hand, but now she held his shoulder as well. “Can you hear me, dad?”

Erick mumbled, “I’m fine. It’s just…” He did not open his eyes, as he said, “Withdrawal from a divine spell, or something. I want to go to bed but I can’t do that yet, can I? Or rather, I shouldn’t. All but seven Shades of Ar’Kendrithyst are dead. Melemizargo has abandoned the city and his Clergy.” As his news elicited gasps from everyone except Poi, Erick turned his head to Poi, and asked, “How bad is it?”

Poi was already fielding messages across the city, so answering Erick’s question was easy enough. “Not that bad right now. After the initial release of information on your trip into the Dead City has gone out into the world, there seems to be an immediate push back saying that this is all a trap, and that the Shades have tricked you into saying what you have said—”